A Jewish girl who attends a middle school in Florida found the markings on a school bus seat

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 1:35 PM EST Mar 3, 2017

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT WESH 2'S MATTGRANT.>> I FEEL OUTRAGED BY THAT.MATT: ON THE SAME DAY STUDENTSAT ROCK LAKE MIDDLE WERE GIVEN AHOLOCAUST PRESENTATION, TRACEYKAGAN'S 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTERLEARNED HATE ISN'T RELEGATED TOHISTORY.>> IT'S VERY AWFUL TO SEETHAT ANTI-SEMITISM IN THIS DAYAND AGE IS ALIVE.MATT: TWO WEEKS AGO HER DAUGHTERSNAPPED THIS PHOTO ON THE BUS,SCRAWLED IN FRONT OF HERASSIGNED SEAT TWO SWASTIKAS ANDTHE CAPTION, WHY IS THE OVENSCREAMING.IT HAS SINCE BEEN REMOVED.>> I THINK THEY NEED TO MAKEMORE OF AN EFFORT TO MAKE THESTUDENTS AWARE THAT IT WON'T BETOLERATED.MATT: DISTRICT OFFICIALSIDENTIFIED THE STUDENTRESPONSIBLE AND SAY THAT PERSONHAS BEEN DISCIPLINED, CALLINGTHIS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT,SAYING SEMINOLE COUNTY PUBLIC, SCHOOLS TAKES ALL THREATSSERIOUSLY, AND MESSAGES OF THISNATURE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS TOCREATE A SAFE LEARNINGENVIRONMENT FOR ALL OURSTUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF.THIS LATEST INCIDENT COMES AMIDA WAVE OF BOMB THREATS AT JEWISHCOMMUNITY CENTERS ACROSS THECOUNTRY, AND THE DESECRATION OFHUNDREDS OF GRAVES AT JEWISHCEMETERIES.LAST YEAR, SWASTIKAS WEREPAINTED AT AND AROUND LAKEBRANTLEY HIGH SCHOOL.>> THE SWASKITA IS A SIGN OFHATE AND TERROR.MATT: INSIDE THE ANN FRANKEXHIBIT AT THE HOLOCAUSTMEMORIAL CENTER IN MAITLAND, THESYMBOL IS A STARK REMINDER OFTHE 6 MILLION JEWS WHO WERESLAUGHTERED.>> IN 2017 FOR US TO BE SEEINGSYMBOLS OF HATE SEEMS TO BE ASTEP BACKWARDS.MATT: ORGANIZERS PLAN TO GO BACKTO THE SCHOOL TO REMIND STUDENTSABOUT THE POWER, AND PAIN, WORDSCAN HAVE.>> SO WHAT WE WANT STUDENTS TOUNDERSTAND IS THAT THERE ARECONSEQUENCES TO ACTIONS.

Advertisement

Swastikas, hate speech found on school bus

A Jewish girl who attends a middle school in Florida found the markings on a school bus seat

Related Content

“It’s very awful to see anti-Semitism in this day and age is alive,” said Tracey Kagan, who feels her 12-year-old daughter was targeted. “It’s upsetting to me as a parent.”

Two weeks ago, her daughter, who is Jewish and attends middle school at the district, snapped a picture on the bus. It shows two swastikas scrawled in front of her assigned seat with the caption: “Why is the oven screaming.” It has since been removed and the incident has just come to light.

District officials say the student who wrote on the seat front was identified through bus surveillance video and punished.

“Seminole County Public Schools takes all threats seriously and messages of this nature will not be tolerated,” district spokesman Michael Lawrence said. “Our number one priority is to create a safe learning environment for all our students, faculty and staff.”

The incident comes amid a wave of bomb threats at Jewish community centers across the country and the desecration of hundreds of graves at Jewish cemeteries.

Inside the Anne Frank exhibit at the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center in Maitland, the symbol is a stark reminder of the 6 million Jews who were killed.

“The swastika is a sign of hate and terror,” said executive director Pam Kancher. “In 2017, for us to be seeing symbols of hate seems to be a step backwards.”

Kancher said she was saddened to learn what happened. It was her center that talked to students about the Holocaust the day the hateful graffiti was made. Now, she plans to go back to the school to remind students about the power, and pain, words can have.

She is working with the principal of Rock Lake Middle School to arrange a return visit to educate students about propaganda, symbols and hate speech.